Seed Cycling 101
Seed cycling
I would like to start with the basics of the menstrual cycle. I find that way too many females are not familiar with their cycle, or worse, not comfortable talking about it. The constructs that society has placed on woman feeling shameful or embarrassed about their cycle is a whole other beast of a topic.. so I’ll move on. The cycle is split into two parts; there is the follicular phase and the luteal phase. The follicular phase is from day 1 of your cycle to day 14 or the first day of your bleed to ovulation. During the follicular phase your body surges with estrogen to build up the follicle holding the egg (get it.. follicular phase) preparing it for egg drop day. Now we move into the luteal phase. This phase is from day 14 of your cycle to day 28-30 (dependent on the person). Or in other terms, from ovulation to the first day of your bleed. During this phase, ovulation occurs and the egg is dropped. At this point the empty follicle produces progesterone to prepare the lining of the uterus for implantation (now get this, progesterone = pro gestation = preparing for baby growth). When no sperm are there to meet with the egg, gestation fails and the uterine lining is shed leading to your menstrual flow. That’s it, 28 days of fluctuating hormones… what could go wrong?
Unfortunately, lots can go wrong! Our environment, years of birth control, estrogen dominance, and PCOS just to name a few things. And unlike our male counterparts whose hormones fluctuate in a 24 hour period, our hormones fluctuate on a monthly cycle which leaves room for error. When there is hormone disruption people can experience symptoms such as cramping, tender breast, mood disturbances, irregular periods, cyclic insomnia, headaches, weight gain and so much more. All of these symptoms are common but they are not normal if the body is functioning optimally.
Enter seed cycling.
The basics of seed cycling involves eating different seeds at different parts of your cycle to help regulate hormones. In the follicular phase (day 1-14) you eat 1 to 2 tablespoon of flax seed and pumpkin seeds. For the luteal phase (day 14-28) you eat 1 to 2 tablespoons of sesame and sunflower seeds. The benefits of seeds as a whole is they contain good healthy fatty acids that are the building blocks of all hormones. During phase 1, flax seed and pumpkin seeds support healthy production of estrogen as well as increase metabolism of harmful estrogens. During phase 2, when the body needs higher levels of progesterone, the zinc and selenium help increase production of progesterone.
Essentially we are helping the body regulate healthy estrogen at the start of our cycle and then supporting production of progesterone in the second half.
Phase 1 (Follicular phase) Day 1-14: Flax seed and pumpkin seeds
Phase 2 (Luteal phase) Day 14-28: Sunflower seeds and sesame seeds
Seed cycling is what I consider the first step for people trying to regulate their periods, prepare for pregnancy, decrease PMS symptoms, and regulate hormones. It is a way to nudge your hormones in the right direction based on the part of the cycle you are in. This is the first step because food and nutrition is the basic building block of health. Before there are supplements, herbs, or bioidentical hormones you need to have a good nutritional base to build on.
Getting a little deeper into seed cycling.
A lot of the time you will see a mood calendar paired with seed cycling, such as the one I made. This is because way back in the day when there was no artificial light or xenoestrogens in the world, our cycles would sync with the moon. This sounds far fetched at first until you think of how hormones are regulated such as melatonin and cortisol. Melatonin is your sleep hormone and is released when your eyes notice it is getting dark. Cortisol starts to peak in the early morning when your body senses light. Female sex hormones worked the same way. Our hormones cycle on a monthly bases and so does the moon so it was an easy way for our boys to establish a rhythm. When the new moon was present it was the darkest it would be all month, and at full moon it would be the brightest. The different levels of light worked as a signaling system to the body of when to release what hormones.
Unfortunately the world that we live in now is filled with things that effect our hormones or hormone receptors. There is artificial light and artificial hormones living everywhere.
Now for some caveats:
Flax seed and sesame seed should be kept in the fridge and ground fresh daily. Avoid buying ground seeds because it exposed the good oil inside to the air allowing for oxidation and turing the oil rancid.
Although ovulation typically falls on day 14 of your cycle (with a 28 day cycle) it can vary from person to person and it is important to pay attention to your body. On your ovulation day you may feel a slight cramp or notice clear discharge.
Seed cycling is a great first step but piggy backing on seed cycling you have to make lifestyle changes to decrease exposure to things that disrupt hormones such as plastics, styrofoam, pesticides, and chemicals in beauty and lifestyle products.
Hormone regulation looks different for every person. Seed cycling is a great first step but if you are wanting to take further steps down the hormone regulation path you should get a licensed naturopath on your team!